Hoisting apparatus for elevator platforms



March 14, 1950 J. o. w. GRANATH HOISTING APPARATUS FOR ELEVATOR PLATFORMS Filed June 5, 1948 INVENTOR.

Patented Mar. 14, 1950 UNITED STATES ram QFF'ICE.

HOIETINGAPPARATUS FOR ELEVATOR, BLATFOBMS 8 Claims.

This invention relates tov a hoisting. apparatus and more particularly toe-lightweight, portable, hoisting device, adaptedfor use, in building construction.

In the erection of a building, comprising two or more floors, a. hoisting, apparatus is commonly employed to lift the necessary materials and supplies to a desired height when required by the workmen. Because of the volume and weight of the material hoisted by such an apparatus, it is necessarythat'the apparatus, be of sturdy construction. Heretofore, when an apparatus of this type wasemployed theserection of a frame or scafiold therefor was required which was -a costlyand timeeconsuming task. The tearing down ofthe frame or scaffold after completion of the building was likewise-costly and time-consuming. Also, in hoisting appa-.-. ratuses heretofore used, the platform, therefor was moveable only in. the. vertical plane, thus, limiting the direction from which the platform could be loaded and unloaded. In. certainv building designs this latter feature'became very undesirable.

Thus, it is one of the-objects of this invention to provide a hoisting apparatus which isof simple design and may be readily erected or torn down with considerable-savings; in time and cost.

It is a further object; of this invention to provide a hoisting apparatus which is mounted so :5,

as to be rotatably adjustable thereby enabling the platform thereofxto. be loaded from one. direction and unloaded from another direction, if desired, thus making the hoisting apparatus adapted for use in the construction-of buildings in, and means for enabling said frame to be held v in various positions of rotational adjustment. For a more complete understanding of, this. invention reference should now be had to the drawin s; wher n:

Figure 1 is, a fragmentary. side elevational. view 2. of th hoisting apparatus in its operative posi on.

Fig. zisafragmentary, perspective view of the upper end portion of" the frameshowing the arrangement of the bracing members for said frame.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the platform.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary side elevational view of the lower end of the frame shown seated in the bearing unit, the latter being shown in crosssection.

Fig. 5 .is a perspective view of: the bearing unit.

Fig. 6. is a fragmentary side elevational view of the lower end of the frame-shown seated-in the b ar n u i 'Z is a fragmentary, perspective view of one, of the vertical supportingmembers of a sectional frame, showing the manner of coneeti g the i mesertion Referring now to the drawing, and more particularly to Fig. 1, a lightweight, portable, hoisting apparatus i8. is, shown comprising a vertical, rotatably mounted, frame l2, a platform l4 laterallyextending therefrom and slidably mounted thereon, anda bearing unit l6 into which the lower end of the, frame is adapted to be seated.

The frame l2 in this instance comprises a base plate 8 having a depending stud 20 secured to the underside thereof by welding or any other suitablemeans, and disposed on the axis of rotationof said framea pulley2Zswive1ly'mounted on the upper side of said plate l8 offset from the axis of rotation, and three vertical, supporting members 24, 26 and 28, attached to the upperside of plate l8, bywelding or any other suitable means, and uniformly spaced from one another and disposed symmetrically about the axis of rotation of said frame i2. Fastened to the upper. end of supporting members 24, 26 and 28, is, a plate 30 of the same shape and size as plate [8,, having a shoulderedstud 32 extending up- Wardly therefromand' fastened thereto by welding, or any other suitable'rneans. The plates [8' and 30in this instance are triangular in shape and the supporting members; 26- and 28 are thereto attached at the three corners of said plates. To the underside. of plate sois fastened an eyehol 33 r m. whic s p ded a p e For additional support in holding the vertical sunnortms memb Z6 a dzfi n' e relavelv paced. osi ns. ar p v de a. pl y f ti fie l e m mber 3. T rt c l pr rt namembe s .2 .6, nd 2. are h s aped. ssh Eie-. T33 amiha e. e re 2 sides of theirchan els facing outwardly. Itisto be understood of course that the supporting members are not to be limited to a channelshape cross-section but may be L-shaped or I- shaped.

Platform l4 comprises a base 38 which in this instance is rectangular in shape and assumes a laterally extending position relative to the frame I2 when in its operative positions. To the edge 40 of base 38, adjacent the frame I2, are rotatably mounted a pair of rollers 42 and 44 which are spaced apart from one another so as to engage the channels of the corresponding supporting member 26 and 28 respectively and to be guided therein upon positioning the platform on the frame. The base 38 of the platform I4 is preferably of wood and some other lightweight, rigid material capable of withstanding heavy loads. Attached to the sides 46 and 41 of the base 30 and extending rearwardly and upwardly therefrom are a pair of supporting struts 48 and 50 which embrace frame I2 and are joined at their rear ends 52 and 54 by a shaft 55 on which is rotatably mounted and centrally positioned a roller 56. Roller 56, when the platform is in its operative position rides in the channel of supporting member 24. To enable the platform I4 to engage or be disengaged from the frame I2, shaft 55 is removeable from the ends 52 and 54 of the supporting struts. Also fastened to the sides 46 and 41 of base 38 and intermediate struts 48 and 50 and pulleys 42 and 44 are a second pair of struts 58 and 60 which extend upwardly from base 38 in an oblique manner as seen in Fig. 1 and have their upper ends joined together on the opposite side of the frame from that for the roller 56, to form a loop 62, which is engaged by hoisting cable 64. As shown in Fig. 3,-a spacer rod 66 is provided for holding struts 48, 50, 58, and 60 in their spaced relationship. It is to be noted that with the type platform I4 shown in Fig. 3, the danger of the platform becoming disengaged from the supporting members is entirely eliminated because when a load is placed on the base 38, the rollers 42, 44 and 56 are caused to press against the supporting members of the frame.

The bearing unit I6 in which the dependent stud 20 of frame I2 is seated when in its operative position, comprises a bearing sleeve 68, a plate welded to the lower end of .said sleeve, and a supporting base I2 on which is bolted or riveted plate 10. Sleeve 68 has a deformed upper end 14 which is provided with pairs of diametrically opposed notches I6I8 and 80-82. The number of pairs of notches may be varied dependent upon the number of positions of rotational adjustment desired. The aperture 84 of sleeve 08 receives the depending stud 20 of frame I2. Depending stud 20 is provided with a pair of transversely extending, load-bearing lugs 86 and 88, which slidably contact the upper deformed end I4 of sleeve 68. The lugs are diametrically opposed to one another and are set back from the free end 90 of depending stud 20, a distance less than the longitudinal dimension of sleeve 68; thus, the weight of the frame and platform are supported by'these lugs. When the frame I2 is manually rotated, for example 90 clockwise from the position shown in Figs. 1 and 4, the lugs 86 and 88 are caused to slide into notches 16-18 respectively as shown in Fig. 6. The shape of the notches are such that the lugs will be readily seated therein and. will not tend to be unseated untilv the frame is manually moved by the operator to another position of rotational adjustment.

The hoisting means for platform I4 comprise over said pulleys.

a hoisting cable 64, a pulley 34 secured to eye bolt 33, which is fastened to the underside of the upper plate 30, a second pulley 2'2 rotatably mounted on the upper side of the bottom plate I8, and a power winch (not shown) for regulating and controlling the movement of the cable 64 In certain instances it might be desirable to employ two hoisting apparatuses with the platforms thereof so arranged that when one goes up the other goes down, thus each acting as a counterbalance for the other.

Where the construction of the building is of a height greater than two stories, it is necessary that the frame I2 be in sections so that when the apparatus is disassembled the frame sections will be of such length that they may be readily handled for transporting on a truck or some other similar type vehicle to another location. The manner of connecting the frame sections is shown in Fig. 7, wherein the supporting member 26 with the base plate I8,removed and supporting member 26a with theupper plate removed are brought into an end-to-end relation and are held in such position by a channel-shaped connecting member 92, which embraces the closed sides of the supporting members and is bolted to the sides 94 and 96 of said members. The bolt holes 07 in the sides 94 and-96 of the supporting members are countersunk from the inside; thus the bolts 88 are placed in the holes 91 with the threaded portions of the bolts extending outwardly and are engaged by nuts IE!!! on the outside of the connecting member 92. With this arrangement of the bolts, no interference with the operation of the roller 42 on the supporting member 26 and 26a is encountered. A similar construction is followed for the other supporting members 24 and 28.

Cooperating with the shouldered stud 32 which extends upwardly from the upper plate 30 of frame I2, are a plurality of bracing members I02, I04, and I06 which hold the frame I2 in a spaced relationship with the side of the building under construction (not shown). Bracing member I02 is a rod, preferably metal, which is pivotally mounted at its center on the shouldered stud 32 and is pivotally connected at its ends I 08 and I I0 to bracing members I04 and I06, respectively. Bracing members I04 and I06 extend rearwardly from frame I2 and are fastened to the adjacent building under construction or any other suitable, adjacent supporting structure. The bracing members I04 and I06 cross each other at a point II2 intermediate the supporting structure and the frame I2 and are fastened together at that point by a pin II4. With this arrangement of bracing members, the frame I2 is more readily held in a substantially vertical position. In order that the apparatus be portable and readily handled by the operators thereof, it is preferred that it be constructed of some lightweight, sturdy material such as aluminum.

Thus, it will be seen that a hoisting apparatus has been provided which is simple in design and may be readily erected or torn down with suitable savings in time and cost. Also, a hoisting apparatus has been provided which enables the platform to be loaded and unloaded from various positions of rotational adjustment of the frame. Also, the apparatus, as provided, is lightweight, yet sturdy in construction, effective in operation, inexpensive to produce, and portable.

While a particular embodiment of this invention is shown above, it will be understood, of course, that the invention is not to be limited thereto since many modifications may be made and it is contemplated therefore by the appended claims to cover any such modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of this invention.

I claim:

1. In a hoisting apparatus, the combination of a rotatably mounted vertical frame, a platform mounted on said frame for relative vertical movement thereon, hoisting means for said platform, a bearing unit for said frame, and means independent of said hoisting means for holding said frame in Various positions of rotational adjustment.

2. In a hoisting apparatus, the combination 01 a rotatable, vertically extending, skeletal frame, a laterally extending platform slidably mounted on said frame, hoisting means for said platform, a bearing unit on which said frame is disengageably mounted, and means for yieldingly holding said frame in various positions of rotational adjustment.

3. In a hoisting apparatus, the combination of a rotatable disengageably mounted vertical frame, a platform mounted for vertical movement relative to said frame, hoisting means for said platform, a bearing unit for said frame, and means provided on said bearing unit and independent of said hoisting means for holding said frame in various positions of rotational adjustment, said frame comprising a base plate, a depending stud fastened thereto, a plurality of vertical supporting members fastened to said plate and arranged in a substantially symmetrical relation about the axis of rotation of said frame, and a top plate fastened to the upper end of said supporting members and having a vertically extending stud adapted to be pivotally embraced by brace members.

4. In a hoisting apparatus, the combination of a rotatably mounted vertical frame, a platform mounted for vertical movement relative to said frame, hoisting means for said platform, a bearing unit for said frame, and means for holding said frame in various positions of rotational adjustment, said platform comprising a base member, a pair of rollers rotatably mounted on the edge of said base member and contacting said frame, a pair of rearwardly extending struts fastened to the outer portion of said base member and angularly disposed with reference thereto, said struts adapted to embrace said frame, a roller rotatably mounted on the free ends of said struts and contacting said frame, and a second pair of upwardly extending struts fastened to said base intermediate said first metioned pair of struts and pair of rollers and having the upper free ends thereof joined together and fastened to the hoisting means.

5. The apparatus claimed in claim 4 in which the roller mounted on said embraceable struts is removable.

6. In a hoisting apparatus, the combination of a rotatably mounted vertical frame, a platform mounted for vertical movement relative to said frame, hoisting means for said platform, a bear-' ing unit for said frame, and means for holding said frame in various positions of rotational adjustment, said bearing unit comprising a plate member, a sleeve member having the lower end thereof fastened to said plate member and having the upper end thereof provided with a plurality of pairs of radially extending notches disposed symmetrically about the axis of rotation of said frame.

7. In a hoisting apparatus, the combination of a swivelly mounted, vertical frame having a depending stud fastened at the lower end thereof on the axis of rotation of said frame, a platform slidably mounted thereon, hoisting means for said platform, a bearing unit for said frame comprising a rigid sleeve having the upper end thereof provided with a plurality of radially extending notches disposed about the axis of rotation of said frame, and load-bearing lugs on said depending stud adapted to engage the notches in said sleeve.

8. The apparatus claimed in claim 7 in which the distance the load-bearing lugs are spaced from the lower end of said depending stud is less than the longitudinal dimension of said sleeve.

JOHN O. W. GRANATH.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 802,217 Jorgensen Oct. 1'7, 1905 953,205 Hughes Mar. 29, 1910 2,292,353 Ennis et a1 Aug. 11, 1942 2,419,145 Kersenbrock et al. Apr. 15, 1947 

